19AQMM24C0133_Award_JA.pdf

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL (J&A)

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

FAR Part 6.3

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity:

The Department of State (DOS), Office of Acquisitions Management (AQM) is conducting this acquisition for an expansion of the Consular Affairs Queue Management (CAQM) system, a Department queue management system based on Q-Flow supplies and services, on behalf of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), Office of Consular Systems and Technology (CST). The estimated cost is $66,340,060.90.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

The action being approved is to negotiate and award a contract to ValidaTek, Inc.

(ValidaTek) on a sole-source basis, to provide enterprise Q-Flow licenses, support services to modernize, engineer, integrate, implement, secure, deploy, and maintain the Q-Flow systems that support the customer experience at CA’s domestic Passport Agencies lobbies, enterprise queuing systems, and the waiting areas of U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide. The scope of this effort will include support for various modernization, engineering, and development projects critical to the CA/CST mission.

The contract will be issued as a hybrid contract with firm fixed price and time and materials CLINs. The contract period of performance will cover a one-year base period with four successive one-year option periods.

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the Department’s needs.

CA/CST is responsible for expanding the deployment of the Consular Affairs Queue Management (CAQM) system world-wide to a potential target of approximately 230 overseas posts, 29 domestic Passport agencies, and 2 domestic Visa processing centers, for a total of 261 locations. This expansion is needed because these organizations require a highly reliable, scalable, secure, and fully redundant enterprise queue management system to support CA’s mission. Currently the CAQM system is based on an extremely customized COTS product, Q-Flow, version 5.8, installed currently at 20 domestic agencies and approximately 50 overseas posts, for a total of 70 locations.

The Q-Flow queue management solution facilitates and measures traffic flow in consular waiting rooms and offers flexibility in configuration and gathers workflow metrics to inform enterprise decision making. Q-Flow is a secure, web-based queue management system capable of handling appointments, reception, registration, customer routing and queuing, monitoring analysis, and reports.

The scope of this effort will include support for various modernization, engineering, and development projects, including:

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

Program Management and Administrative Support, Engineering Implementation, System Engineering Support, System Engineering Standards, Integration Support, Operations and Maintenance Support, Tier III Support, Maintain an Off-Premises Lab, Support and Maintain associated equipment in IV&V Lab, provide feet on the ground Deployment Support around the world if necessary.

Deploying CAQM capabilities worldwide to a potential target of approximately 230 overseas posts, 24 domestic Passport Agencies, two domestic Visa processing centers, and Visa nonimmigrant and immigrant locations. To reach all of these posts and agencies, the Contractor shall deploy CAQM 1.x/2.x to two new Posts and support two retrofits a month. This will require personnel cleared at the Secret level to provide onsite support for deployment and user, management, and administration training at overseas Posts.

Maintaining and supporting the existing Q-Flow 5.2 and 5.8 systems as well as CAQM 1.x system utilizing ACF Q-Flow 6.x.

Providing a CAQM redundant-load balancing Cloud Solution (based on Q-Flow 6.x) that will maximize software, hardware, and architecture efficiencies while ensuring the application is scalable and manageable. Servers shall be maintained on both 5.8, 6.x, and subsequent versions.

Providing the application licenses for Serial Port Splitter for NIV Scanners.

Developing, implementing, integrating, deploying, and maintaining an Enterprise Queuing System to be integrated with Consular Systems Modernization (CSM) (to include but not limited to automated appointment scheduler integration) using SAFe Agile methodologies.

Supporting and securing the servers hosting the development, test, and production environments for CAQM capabilities and services.

Performing comprehensive testing including, but not limited to, functional, automated and regression testing while executing Agile methodologies (e.g. SAFe) to ensure all software/hardware updates are fully tested and approved before deployment.

Providing SOPs and technical training to CA Service Operations Tier I and Tier II analysts. Training should include, but shall not be limited to, basic end-user functionality, queuing system architecture, and how the components are connected and utilize.

Providing onsite Tier III support Monday through Friday during core hours of 8AM and 6PM EST and on-call Tier III support 24/7/365. In addition, providing onsite Tier III support 24/7/365 in future option years.

New Engineering/Development and implementation projects shall include but not limited to:

o Next Generation Line Lobby Management (Q-Flow 6.x) o Enterprise Queuing System o Mobile Queuing Solution o CA Integration o High Availability Backbone o Digital Signage o Short Message Service (SMS) o Next Generation Set Top Box (STB) o Weatherized Kiosks o Off-OpenNet Kiosk Solution

4. An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 3304, as implemented by FAR 6.3 and substantiated by the following: FAR 6.302-1 – Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the action require use of the authority cited.

The Department requires that the expansion of existing CAQM system using the same underlying technology, which is Q-Flow technology, a technology that the Department originally purchased competitively as a COTS product. However, this product has been extensively customized over the past 8 years to meet the Department’s requirement. Said expansion would result in Q-Flow increasing from serving 70 locations to 261 locations (see Section 3 above). While the Department considered other queue management systems for this expansion, it decided that Q-Flow is the only source that can meet the Agency’s extremely customized Consular Affairs, Office of the Executive Director (CA/EX) requirements. See the below findings and determination for more information:

(1) No single COTS product will be able to meet CA/EX’s customized requirements, countless man hours and extreme amounts of funding have already gone into this development. It would not be in the best interest of the Government to have to redevelop this work, to include labor, infrastructure hardware, development, deployment, and training.

Additionally, it is mission critical we avoid disrupting CA/EX's mission by ensuring continuous support, meaning parallel efforts would need to take place during the timeframe any associated rework is required, to evade gross negative impact to CA/EX’s mission (over the next 7 years).

(3) CA/EX has determined through extensive analysis of multiple queuing vendors that CAQM’s customized Q-Flow solution is the only queueing company which meets CA’s functional and network security requirements. Consequently, cables have been signed and distributed outlining this, and overseas Posts were required to remove any other queuing systems from the DOS network to include the existing Q-Matic, Nemo- Q, and Meta-Q applications (to name a few). From this time on, CA/CST has worked hand in hand with CA/EX and Overseas Building Operations (OBO) to support the construction of all new or relocating Posts. Current implementations include the following:

All Passport Agencies across the United States More than 50 CA/EX Posts overseas Approximately 85 additional CA/EX Posts at varying stages of deployment Over 70 CA/EX Posts on a priority retrofit list to start in 2024

Therefore, the impact of making any change to a queueing system would additionally require approximately 85 OBO contract modifications (supporting current construction) as well as gravely delaying the Q-Flow implementation at over 70 CA/EX priority Posts (to replace all Q-Matic, Nemo-Q, and Meta-Q prior implementations and/or where current end-of-life offnet queueing systems are no longer working nor supported) without parallel contract efforts.

(4) Q-Nomy, Inc. is the owner of Q-Flow and has entered into an exclusive partnership with ACF Technologies. ACF Technologies is Q-Nomy’s United States distributor and therefore the only company that offers the Q-Flow products within the U.S., including core platform support and maintenance, to the U.S. Government sector.

While ACF has been providing Q-Flow hardware, software, and initial integration under an existing BPA, the level of programmatic support services and on-site collaboration required to roll out Q-Flow at all overseas sites is outside of ACF’s capabilities. As such, ValidaTek is ACF’s only partner with the capability to provide long term Q-Flow specific program management support, enterprise license support, hardware support, integration support, and ongoing operations and maintenance.

Additionally, ValidaTek is ACF’s only partner with the following:

Programming access to ACF’s closed APIs, program scripts, and integration protocols Direct access to ACF’s developers, and priority access to ACF’s senior support personnel Ability to be an agent of ACF on behalf of Q-Flow enterprise licensing for the U.S. Government sector

Considering the above findings and based on previous acquisition history and the cost to implement the current Q-Flow solution, implementing a new solution would likely cost $75.4M more than working directly with ValidaTek. DOS technical experts estimate that it would require approximately eighty-four (84) months, at a minimum, to complete a full replacement of the existing Q-flow solution as well as all end user training required to be performed at all PPT agencies and approximately 50 overseas posts. Supporting a dual solution during this 7-year timeframe would be cost prohibitive and introduces a high risk if an alternate solution (without historical knowledge) runs into any problems meeting DOS’s requirements. Realistically, this uncertainty would be a multi-million-dollar liability to DOS. All of which demonstrates that other sources are cost prohibitive and require an exorbitant amount of Department labor, infrastructure hardware, development, deployment, and training, to maintain and manage a dual Department queue management solution. As a result, ValidaTek is the only source that can meet the Department’s requirement.

6. A description of efforts to ensure that offers were solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies.

Market Research was conducted, details of which are outlined in section 8 of this justification. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government’s requirements.

7. A determination by the ordering activity Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government is fair and reasonable.

The Contracting Officer determines that the anticipated price(s) will be fair and reasonable based on performing a price analysis, comparing the proposed pricing against present rates, and other commercially available rates or sources as applicable. As ValidaTek possess substantial history under their current contract, there is sufficient data within the Department to verify the fairness and reasonableness of the proposed pricing.

An Independent Government Cost Estimate has also been developed to confirm anticipated prices prior to the issuance of a new contract.

Flow enterprise licenses and support and met the 25-mile radius requirement.

While other respondents recommended new solutions, it was determined that the proposed solutions don’t inherently meet DOS’ functional requirements. Any new solution would require a highly customized solution to be developed to meet CA requirements. Several of the respondents failed to answer any of CST’s technical requirement questions, thus not allowing the assessment of the contractor’s ability to meet the requirements.

Based on the information that each company provided in its response to the three separate Sources Sought Notices, CA/CST determined that only ValidaTek, Inc.

could provide the required support services necessary to sustain the Q-flow solution and avoid the duplication of time and cost to DOS.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of this justification.

The ability for the CAQM solution to provide maximum value to the lobby line management needs of Consular Affairs is built on the combined capabilities of the current solutions integrator and COTS vendor. These combined capabilities are necessary to meet the unique requirements of Consular Affairs and cannot be easily replicated by another solution partnership. Additionally, to meet the requirements of the Bureau, a solution partnership is required. It is not feasible for another lobby line management COTS vendor to provide the necessary solutions for the customer without the partnership of a solutions integrator that has a deep understanding of the business needs, requirements, and processes of the customer. Conversely, it is not possible for a solutions integrator to provide the necessary solutions for the customer without a COTS vendor that offers a flexible, low cost, modern, secure and cloud enabled platform to deliver the lobby line management solutions. The partnership provides the maximum ability for the customer to “buy instead of build” where the solution integrator only customizes the COTS solution to the extent needed to meet the unique requirements of the Bureau.

The solutions integrator has a combined total of 129 years supporting the Bureau and over 44 years supporting lobby line management solutions for the Bureau. This gives them the ability to truly understand the unique and constantly evolving business processes employed to deliver Passport, American Citizen, Non-Immigrant Visa, and Immigrant Visa services. These business processes in turn drive the unique lobby line management and queuing solutions that are customized into the COTS solution. Some of the unique solutions customized thus far include Next N’ Queue, Visa class-based routing, language-based routing, appointment system ingesting, enhanced language options, virtual queues, a Q-Flow toolbar, and Scan-to-Call for Snake Lines.

For example, with Scan-to-Call for Snake Lines, the solutions integrator recognized there was a workflow efficiency preference by many overseas Posts to utilize snake lines rather than queuing for lobby line management. However, neither the current COTS product nor any of the other lobby line management COTs products on the market provide a capability that allows a customer to capture wait time and service time metrics without utilizing queuing. To bridge this gap, the solutions integrator customized a solution by integrating the customer’s in-house GOTS NIV application with a new Q-Flow toolbar application. This solution allows the user to scan a single appointment barcode to bring up the customer record in the NIV application while also enqueuing the customer into Q- Flow to capture metrics. This solution allows Consular management to unlock the power of tracking service and wait time metrics to make continuous improvements that reduce these times, increasing applicant throughput and maximizing fee collection.

The COTs vendor’s flexible Q-Flow platform powers the ability for the solutions integrator to deliver the Scan-to-Call and other customized solutions. The Bureau selected the Q-Flow platform in 2011 as its enterprise queuing platform/COTs product following an extensive Analysis of Alternatives and a 3-year pilot where Q-Flow was deployed to eight Passport Agencies and eight Posts. Q-Flow was chosen because of its advanced functionality, its ability to be customized for the Bureau’s unique needs, and its technical ability to comply with the necessary security controls to operate on the SBU OpenNet network.

Q-Flow offers the greatest flexibility in customization to meet the unique requirements of Consular Affairs compared to other solutions. This includes a flexible Web Service API and Stored Procedure API which can be used to produce enterprise application customizations and database level integrations for importing and exporting data between Q-Flow and other enterprise systems. The Q-Flow APIs provide developers with an extensive range of web services for integration purposes. These APIs are a standalone installation of WCF web services, and both SOAP and REST can be used to access this API. Q-Flow also supports script creation/execution, allowing application events to execute custom .NET code. This enables developers to extend the basic functionality of the system to better answer business requirements. With the addition of the Q-App functionality introduced in version 6.0, Q-Flow can bring new functionality to market quicker as the technology allows for independent versioning, allowing for the layering of new versions on top of previous versions and rollback to a previous version, without impact to the core systems. Finally, in Q-Flow 6.0, the introduction of the Q-Anywhere Platform provides a sensible approach to lobby management and social distancing. The suite is made up of three modules: 1) Check-In Anywhere, 2) Wait Anywhere, and 3) Assistant Anywhere, allowing visitors to utilize their mobile phones and personal devices to check-in, wait, and interact with customer service remotely.

In addition to the Q-Flow platform being fully ADA and WCAG 2.x compliant and responsive, it is also cloud enabled with support for over the web devices (SignalR web socket) such as Internet connected kiosks, Multi-Factor Authentication capability and full end-to-end data in transit encryption. This allows the solutions integrator to operate a zero-trust FedRAMP based cloud solution that complies with the unique FedRAMP requirements of the Department of State as well as the Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. This cannot be achieved in a timely manner by another solutions integrator and COTs vendor. While other COTs vendors might have a cloud ready solution, they would not have a solution that meets the unique FedRAMP requirements of the Department.

10. A listing of any sources that expressed a written interest in the acquisition.

11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required.

CST will continue to conduct market research on alternative queue management solutions and/or emerging technologies to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed. Also, any responses to this justification will be considered for use in future procurements similar to this one.